Spring-hinge



(ModeL) G. KBENE. Spring Hinge.

No. 231,053. Patented Aug. 10,1880.

WITNESSES t jzmwiw BY 2 ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR UNITE STATES PATENT Price.

GEORGE KEENE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,053, dated August 10, 1880.

Application filed April 17, 1880. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KEENE, of Chicago, inzthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Spring-Hinge, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved spring-hinge for gates and doors that are hinged so as to swing laterally.

The improvement consists in placing the pintles of the gate or door forward of its rear edge, which is provided with a downward projection, and in applying a spiral spring to the lower pintle, so that its free ends project backward on each side of said projection on the gate or door, but do not bear again st the same except when the gate or door swings, being at other times in contact with studs which are fixed in the pintle-bracket.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a door provided with my improved hinge. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a door provided with a modification of my device.- Fig. 4c is a crosssectional elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line as 00, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The knees or angles A A project outward from the door-jamb B, and between these knees the door 0 is pivoted by means of the pins D and D the upper g' fpingjl), being preferably attached to a knee or angle, E, on the upper edge of the door. The pin Dflcanfjeither be rigidly attached tothe knee A and pass into a socketin the lower edge of thegdoor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or the pin may be rigidly secured in the lower edge of the door, and can fit into a socket in the knee A as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A spring, F, is coiled around the pin 1) in such a manner that a projecting end is formed at the upper and lower ends of the coil, which ends are-bent in opposite directions, so as to rest against two studs or pins, G G, on the knee A or the ends can rest against the two opposite edges of a plate, H, fastened in an upright position to the knee A A curved p1ate, J, is fastened to the bottom edge of the door flush with the back edge of the same, which is preferably rounded, and is located as close as possible to the jamb B. Against this plate J one of the ends of the spring bears when the door is opened, thus tending to close it, as illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. 5; but when the door is'at rest the plate J is between the ends of the springs, which then bear on the pins G or else on the sides of the fixed plate H, which may be substituted for the pins.

It will be observed that the spring is wound in such manner that its ends cross and diverge on the inner side of the pintle, and hence the coil tightens, and its resistance increases the more widely the door is opened.

-The door can be conveniently lifted out of its hinges and replaced at any time, and asits back edge is rounded the same can lie close up to the jainb and permit a rotation or swinging of the door in both directions.

This hinge is especially adapted for saloon or station doors thatare to'swing in both directions-i. 0., inward and outward.

I do not claim, broadly, the combination, with a hinged gate or door, of a spiral spring one of whose free ends bears upon some portion of the gate or door whenever it swings, while the other end bears upon a fixed portion or attachment of the pintle-bracketas, for example, in Patent No. 62,747.

My combination and arrangement of parts have several advantages, among which are the following: First, the rear edge of the gate or door does not require to be notched or cut awayto receive the spring and pintle attachment; second, the rear edge of the gate or door may be set close to the pivot post or jamb, in place of leaving a space between them for accommodation of the spring and pintle; third, the springhinge is less prominently exposed to view and to contact with other objects when placed beneath the gate or door than when placed behind its rear edge; fourth, the gate or door may be conveniently and quickly removed from its hearings or pintle supports,

edge, since the pressure on that part of the gate or door between the pintle and jamb in a measure ofi'set-s the pressure on the frontpa-rt.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 5 as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination and arrangement, as shown and described, of the door (J, having the pintle D placed beneath its lower edge and in front 10 of its rear edge, which extends back to the jamb, the downward projection J of such rear edge, the studs G G, fixed side by side in the knee or bracket A and the spiral spring F, coiled around said pintle D and having its free ends extended rearward past the studs, so I 5 as to bear on the same when the door is at rest, and on the projection J when the door swings, all as hereinbefore set forth.

GEORGE KEENE. Witnesses:

J OSEPH KEENE, PETER HAGEDORN. 

